Defendant agrees to plea bargain

Posted: Wednesday, August 16, 2000

By CHRIS GRENZThe Capital-Journal

LYNDON -- After eight grand jury indictments and more than a year of prosecution, the Osage County attorney said Tuesday he was relieved to put the final case in a Burlingame slaying behind him this week.

Rosan L. Robison, 45, of Osage City, was to stand trial beginning next week. Instead, she entered into a plea agreement Monday and now faces more than 12 years in prison, said Osage County Attorney Eric Godderz.

One count of premeditated first-degree murder was dropped in exchange for the plea agreement.

Robison's deal is nearly identical to a plea agreement David "Hoss" Morris, 42, of Valley Falls, entered into in May, just after the state rested its seven-day case against him. Hoss was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for similar charges.

The murder charges against Robison and Morris stemmed from the death of Calvin Neu, 38, who was shot six times at his rural Burlingame home Oct. 9, 1998. In February, Billy Joe Hill, 53, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in Neu's death. Hill, who also pleaded guilty to several meth charges, was sentenced to a "Hard 25" prison sentence.

Hill and his girlfriend, Robison, were arrested together at a Jackson County farmhouse following a 49-hour standoff with law enforcement. Hill became a fugitive on drug charges after a search warrant was executed at his home Sept. 16, 1998. Godderz said Morris was Hill's "right-hand man" while he was on the run.

Following a search warrant at Neu's home Sept. 16, 1998, the Osage County Sheriff's Department obtained Hill's phone number. Officers called Hill and tried to set up a sting. Hill mistakenly believed Neu was involved with the sting, Godderz said, and plotted with Morris and Robison to kill Neu.

The trio went to Neu's home -- with Hill dressed in fatigues and using a weapon taken from his daughter. Hill snuck up to the home after dark while Robison and Morris waited in a get-away car, Godderz said. Originally, the plan was to kidnap Neu and torture him to learn what he had told police, Godderz said, but it didn't happen that way.

"Billy unloaded his gun and while Calvin was on the ground; Billy came up and took his gun and fired two more shots at him," Godderz said.

No date has been set for Robison's sentencing, but she faces 146 months in prison as part of the plea agreement. Robison was the last to face trial of eight people indicted in June 1999 by a grand jury on a variety of charges. Seven of the eight indictments resulted in convictions, Godderz said. Only Hill's daughter, Lisa Bowers, escaped prosecution as part of Hill's plea agreement.

The case lasted so long, Godderz said, that Hill's nephew, Timmy Hill, who was convicted of aiding a felon, was released last week after serving his yearlong prison sentence.

"This will probably end it. It's a done deal," Godderz said of Robison's plea. "It's nice to have it over with. It's gone on quite a while."

Laurie Dunn, Osage County undersheriff, said her department has been involved with the case since the 1998 search warrants. They helped track Hill and Robison down in Jackson County and were responsible for much of the Neu slaying investigation.

"I'm glad to have it done," she said. "I think our department worked very hard and diligently to solve this case. It's been a long process, and we're happy to have it over."